The Ups and Downs (Mostly Ups!) of Selling Merchant Services

The ups and downs of selling merchant services include developing vital, professional skills and dealing with rejection, respectively.

April 18, 2017 2 minute read

Selling merchant services could be a great career choice. But like any job, it comes with positive and negative aspects. Fortunately, the upsides of this profession far outnumber the downsides.

THE UPSIDES:

Commission

Being in the merchant sales industry allows you to earn monthly residuals based on how much credit card processing sales your customers’ businesses process. Earning this commission gives you the opportunity to slow down during the summer or holidays and still bring in an income. Plus, you’ll receive more commissions as you gain more customers over time.

In High Demand

Every business that plans to accept credit and debit cards needs a merchant account. Some of those who already have an account may not be happy with theirs. As a result, merchant sales consultants are constantly in demand so providers can reach these business owners and bring on new customers, giving you a sense of job security and financial stability.

Control Over Your Career

Selling merchant services with the right provider that doesn’t set quotas enables you to decide what you want to do with your career. You have flexibility in terms of sales figures and work hours, which other professions may not be able to give you.

Vital Skill Development

When you work in sales, you develop certain skills that can be extremely useful. For example, you’ll learn all there is to know about persistence and patience. Plus, you’ll encounter many people with different personalities, which means you’ll likely learn how to adjust your sales approach according to their individual traits.

Always Learning

If you’re someone who loves to learn, you’ll enjoy selling merchant services because the industry is continuously evolving. For instance, technology affects how new terminals and POS systems are developed, so you’ll need to find out how these machines are more efficient than old ones and be able to communicate those benefits to potential customers. Along with other developments making waves in merchant services, such as EMV adoption, you'll see there is no shortage of things to learn.

THE DOWNSIDES:

Meeting Quotas

It can be stressful if you work for a provider that sets aggressive sales quotas. But not every company operates like this. Finding a provider that doesn’t put such intense performance pressure on its merchant sales consultants could make your work much more enjoyable, letting you actually take control of your career.

Dealing with Rejection

Whether you sell merchant services, homes or pharmaceuticals, rejection is inevitable. It comes with the territory, and some people don’t bounce back as quickly as others might. But keep in mind that as difficult as it is to have a door slammed in your face (figuratively and literally), you can learn how to handle rejection in merchant sales that will make it much easier for you to move on to your next sale.